Tea Party for Two
by Hatterxx
Summary: After the kiss, Alice and Hatter begin together, with bumps along the way.


It had been 2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 12 hours, 32 minutes and 52 seconds, Otherworld time, since Hatter had come through the Looking Glass. And he had loved Earth every second he had been on it. Of course, Alice had a very big affect on that.

And in these 2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 12 hours, 32 minutes and 52 seconds, Alice and Hatter had lived a happy life together. Not yet married, they lived together in a flat that they had bought after a couple months of his falling date. Living in separate flats had proved to be to much of a hassle, and besides, Carol always asked her daughter when she didn't come home for the night.

Alice still worked in the dojo, and Hatter created his own tea shop, using tea that he hand-made himself, since he couldn't stand the wretched taste of what was tea on Earth. A small shop, he wanted to personally get to know everyone of his costumers. He was able to hold it out by the regulars that came in the morning, those who preferred tea to coffee.

He called it the 'Hatter's Tea Shoppe', pun intended, and called himself the Hatter. Everyone thought that is was just based off of Lewis Carroll's novel, or the movie by Tim Burton that had recently come out. No one really thought much of it, so he could use his real name, Hatter.

The shop closed at 11 in the evening on weekdays, a full hour after the dojo closed, and every night, at 5 past 10, Alice came in and drank tea with her beloved. At 11 on the dot, they would come home to their apartment. On weekends, the Shoppe open later, and closed earlier, so that the couple could spend time together.

On this particular Wednesday evening, March the Third, Hatter had something planned. It involved a ring. And a cup of tea.

The Stone of Wonderland, to be exact of the ring. It had already been presented to Alice twice, for the same purpose, by the same person. This time, it would be a different person, but for the same reason. Even though he was positive of his Alice's answer, all the same, it was nerve racking.

At 10:05 on the dot, the door opened, and Hatter heard footsteps. He walked out from storeroom, and his heart skipped a beat. Even though they had known each other for a very long time, every time Hatter saw Alice, it was like the first time all over again.

"Ello, love," he said. "What'll it be tonight?"

"Surprise me," Alice said with a smile. And Hatter thought to himself what a surprise she would get.

"I have a new Mango flavor, mixed with some spices from... You know. How's that sound?"He asked her, knowing that mango was her favorite. She nods with a smile. He knows her too well.

He walks back into the storeroom to pick up the cup of tea. It was a dark brew, so she couldn't see the bottom of the cup. He picked up the ring, from which he had the stone slightly cut down, which Jack's approval, so that it could fit into the cup perfectly without it being seen.

He dropped the ring into the cup, and walked out like he normally would. He was over-confident and charismatic, he was told, but some how, his heart was beating faster than ever, and he could feel his hand beginning to shake. Though he looked normal on the outside, (he hoped), he was a train wreak waiting to happen. He had never been more nervous for anything in his life.

He handed Alice the cup, and she didn't notice anything. She gave him a smile and breathed in the smell of the tea.

"Wonderful," she said, and took a sip. She didn't notice anything round inside the cup.

Hatter went to the young lady sitting at the end of the bar. She was pale, and had very long brown hair. It was her first time in Hatter's tea shop, and she found the Hatter rather attractive. But her head was firmly on her shoulders, and she didn't believe in love at first sight. But the Hatter was quite a sight to look at. Rather than acting impulsively, as she longed to do, when the Hatter asked her for if she would enjoy more tea, she shook her head, and tried to shake out her thoughts about the man had never met.

While she was shaking her head, Alice had gasped and squealed at the same time. The Hatter gave the women a small smile before walking over to his love. Luckily, he thought, he was behind the counter;his legs were like jelly.

He got over to Alice. She was holding the ring and examining it, with a smile on her face. Hatter got out behind the counter, and Alice turned her chair around so that she was facing him. He got down on one knee, and popped the question.

AN:

Originally, it was going to be a whole story. Then I decided to leave it as a one-shot. It's been a long time since I've written one of these, so comments, questions, and concerns are very welcome. God bless, =)


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